Cast Alloy

[Sven Dufva]

I use an alloy cauld hardballer. 92% lead 6% antimon 2% tinn. But i have a problem when i cast it is wery difficuld to have right temperature. Bigger bullets like 44 cal are going to be frosti very quick. when i going down in temp they dont fill out the mould. I have tried adjust the temp up and down and never come to a good result. Can somebody tell me what is wrong.

Im from Sweden ( big problem with English too)

[waksupi]

Welcome, Sven. Don't worry about your English, it is quite readable.
And, don't worry about the frosted bullets. Most of us cast them like that, on purpose. It indicates the alloy is hot. This makes the alloy flow better, to fill your molds easier. The frost hurts nothing, and can be useful in some cases, as if you use a tumble lube.

[44man]

I agree, keep it hot.

[Bass Ackward]

I use an alloy cauld hardballer. 92% lead 6% antimon 2% tinn. But i have a problem when i cast it is wery difficuld to have right temperature. Bigger bullets like 44 cal are going to be frosti very quick. when i going down in temp they dont fill out the mould. I have tried adjust the temp up and down and never come to a good result. Can somebody tell me what is wrong.

Im from Sweden ( big problem with English too)


Sven,

The hotter you have to run your mix, the harder it is to keep a constant mold temperature. You can get frosty bullets with a mix at 650 degrees, but you have to mold like a mad man to make it happen. If you are running 800 degrees, frosty bullets occur much quicker. My guess is that you are running a bottom pour pot and an aluminum mold. Mold material has a lot to do with it. Matching the right mold material for the lead quantity / size of bullet has a great impact on your eventual casting rate. Or said another way, the mold material can have a great impact on bullet quality if you don't have the patience to adapt.

To get consistent bullet weights and diameters, you need a steady mold temperature. Hard to get around that fact.

Mold at a temperature where you get fillout and simply slow your pace or cool your mold. This can be done by using several molds at the same time "IF" you can keep up a pace. Or using a fan to blow on your mold after dropping the bullets. Or even using a damp cloth or sponge to touch the bottom of the mold on.

Or simply mold frosty bullets. Nothing wrong with slightly frosty bullets that don't result in diameter loss or shrunken features.

[Sven Dufva]

Thanks for the answers.
Half side of the bullet can be frosty. other side good.
I think its more normely
that the top of bullets start being frostly. I use top fill iron cast moulds (mimek)
When i use lino its no problem with slightly frostly bullets but when i use the hardballer it loss in diameter direkly when it frosty. I think it can be samthing wrong with the alloy. When i cast smaller bullets like 38 cal wc its not so difficult.

[buck1]

Try letting the alloy over flow on the mold for a second or two after its full. This will help the alloy stay liquid longer, and fill better.
Also the mold may not be vented well. .....Buck

[Pystis]

Välkommen, Sven!

Nice to have our lovely neighbours here:mrgreen:
I didn´t know about those Mimek moulds. Thanks for the hint. It´s good to know.

Jukka

[buck1]

Sven, do you have the WWW adress for mimek molds?? Thanks....Buck
ALSO ......WELCOME!!!!!

[Sven Dufva]

Hello Buck!
Mimek dont produce moulds any longer but a gun dealer sell out moulds who is left in stock. www.gun-trans.se
I hope that will help you.

[Sven Dufva]

I tried to cool the mould with a fun and it help a lot. Bullets is mutch better.
Buck i can send you a pdf of mimek moulds if you wont.

[Buckshot]

................Welcome Sven! Frosted boolits aren't bad if 1) they fall the right size and 2) they are frosted equally ALL over, and not in seperate parts.

http://www.fototime.com/2D536DBA57B9FA1/standard.jpg

These 3 slugs were cast with the same alloy tempurature, from the same blocks. The one on the left is smooth and shiney as liquid silver. It had the blocks cooled between pours like this: Fill mould, then touch sprueplate on damp cloth, dump boolits, touch base of blocks on damp pad, refill. This was done casting as fast as possible yet still smoothly.

The center one is a kind of dull frosty all over. These were cast: Fill, touch sprueplate to damp pad, dump, refill.

The one on the right doesn't show it's exterior well. If it were a better and more clear photo you would be able to see that the surface displays a well defined crystaline structure. I suppose a good description would be that of electrolicly applied galvanization? Very well defined boundry lines. This was cast as fast as possible, letting the sprue just 'skim' over hard, then dumping and refilling.

The 'as cast' diameters of the 3 have the left one being the largest, the frosty middle one the smallest and the one on the right almost as large as the left one. I don't recall the miked dimensions, but the difference was unmistakeable.

The point is that the alloy temp was never touched. The block temps made all the difference in their as cast diameter. It may be that the antinony percentage is a bit high for the tin portion? Not that the numbers you show are off, but this alloy might be used, or old and some of the tin has been burned off or removed as dross?

One other possibility with localized frosting is to re-clean your blocks well. Slightly smoke them with the lightest hint of soot and try again.

Then again the planets might not have been lined up just right for you? You might need to look into a change in your casting uniform? :-)

....................Buckshot

[Sven Dufva]

Thanks for all replys!
I have cast again and have come too same awnser some many of you.
It depends of the mould temp, but this alloy(hardboller) is moore difficould then lino. Lino alloy can stand mutch higher temp.
I use the boolit for competision in what we could magnum field. That is a competision upp to 200 yards for hand guns.